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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
[POSSIBLE SPOILERS FROM THE BOOK]
Pros:
1. The book actually explains quite intricately the essence of prehistory, from the creation of the universe to the rise of human being. It's very all-encompassing (at the very least, it feels all-encompassing). As someone who is interested in history and prehistory in general, it was nice to read such a deep book on the subject, especially considering a lot of what we know of prehistory could be more assumption than confirmation. The author was very good in painting the broad strokes of the book this way.
2. The section on the rise of life after the creation of Earth was MARVELOUS. It is difficult to visualize it - the DNA forming in the sea from volcanic tubes and then forming bigger and bigger life forms, but somehow the author succeeded in doing this.
3. This book is also a good instance of having a starting point to learn about global prehistory, and (some of) the associated research that was done to understand it. It covers much and more about the different fields of science and technology - physics, chemistry, geology, paleontology, biology, medicine - and everything else that ties in with the formation of life. I'd have loved to read this book in geography or history class in school.
Cons:
1. This book does not need these many pages. I had heard that there's a shorter version of this book which may work well for me (or other readers), but this book is way too big - it needs to be cut down, like, 50% to keep the core stuff.
2. The writing style is too chaotic for my (delicate) sensibilities. This is how I imagine a train of thought reads like on paper. Certain facets of the prehistorical timeline are being discussed, for example, before the author goes on a wide side quest to talk about several different associated topics for absolutely no reasons. Sometimes, it feels like riding an uncontrollable mine cart.
3. This is more of a subjective opinion, but the book's title was misleading for me. I was in 40-60% before I realized the book was about prehistory and not history, after which what I read made sense. Even the blurb wasn't clear about it, I felt. It should rather be "A Short History Of Nearly Everything Before Us".
Verdict: This is not the worst book I've read, but this is not the best book I've read. I'd recommend it if you like mine cart rides and are interested in prehistory. But the writing style really affected my final view of the book as a reader.
Pros:
1. The book actually explains quite intricately the essence of prehistory, from the creation of the universe to the rise of human being. It's very all-encompassing (at the very least, it feels all-encompassing). As someone who is interested in history and prehistory in general, it was nice to read such a deep book on the subject, especially considering a lot of what we know of prehistory could be more assumption than confirmation. The author was very good in painting the broad strokes of the book this way.
2. The section on the rise of life after the creation of Earth was MARVELOUS. It is difficult to visualize it - the DNA forming in the sea from volcanic tubes and then forming bigger and bigger life forms, but somehow the author succeeded in doing this.
3. This book is also a good instance of having a starting point to learn about global prehistory, and (some of) the associated research that was done to understand it. It covers much and more about the different fields of science and technology - physics, chemistry, geology, paleontology, biology, medicine - and everything else that ties in with the formation of life. I'd have loved to read this book in geography or history class in school.
Cons:
1. This book does not need these many pages. I had heard that there's a shorter version of this book which may work well for me (or other readers), but this book is way too big - it needs to be cut down, like, 50% to keep the core stuff.
2. The writing style is too chaotic for my (delicate) sensibilities. This is how I imagine a train of thought reads like on paper. Certain facets of the prehistorical timeline are being discussed, for example, before the author goes on a wide side quest to talk about several different associated topics for absolutely no reasons. Sometimes, it feels like riding an uncontrollable mine cart.
3. This is more of a subjective opinion, but the book's title was misleading for me. I was in 40-60% before I realized the book was about prehistory and not history, after which what I read made sense. Even the blurb wasn't clear about it, I felt. It should rather be "A Short History Of Nearly Everything Before Us".
Verdict: This is not the worst book I've read, but this is not the best book I've read. I'd recommend it if you like mine cart rides and are interested in prehistory. But the writing style really affected my final view of the book as a reader.
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
lighthearted
medium-paced
Better than other broad overview books I’ve read because Bryson dives down instead of briefly touching on everything.
One of my favorite books, ever. Brilliant writing and encyclopedic coverage of scientific info by a non-scientist. Good humor, also.
informative
fast-paced
funny
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
As one reviewer said, this is the the kind of book you want to reread almost as soon as you finish it. Interesting information about science and the history of scientific ideas, the good and the bad. I feel both smarter after reading it and also realize how much I don't know.
Had to read this for class a few years ago. Don't remember which year, class, or school, but I saved the book as an instant classic. It had more than I wanted to learn, but I read it all anyway. Well written, fun, and informative.